Daffodil Days
by Rawrzii
Summary: "This is a tragedy, a wonderful, wonderful tragedy!" It's August 23 and Kuroko is acting rather strange; but he's not the only one... And what's with this sick sensation of déjà vu everyone has been feeling lately?
1. August 23 ( I )

**Daffodil Days**

**one:** August 23 (1)

* * *

"This is a tragedy, a wonderful, wonderful tragedy!"

.

Slivers of horizontal light slide through the blindfolds that hang in front of a small and square windowpane. The slivers reveal tiny particles of dust that lazily float about, undisturbed in the musty air.

A thin layer of dust has formed upon a red digital clock that rests on top of a wooden drawer. The clock blares with bright green numbers and letters that go unnoticed by its owner who lays snoring beside the drawer on a flat white bed, blue covers pulled high.

5:59

6:00

The red clock jumps to life and shakes with a loud buzzing sound, rattling noisily against the surface of the drawer. Its owner stirs in bed before raising a hand and bringing it down hard on its button-covered surface. It immediately ceases its racket.

A pair of angry red eyes peak out from under the blue covers to glare at the clock, which is now slightly cracked, and now reads, 6:02 - August 23.

Throwing his covers off with an elephant-like yawn, Kagami Taiga starts his day.

.

The school bell tolls loud and clear as the red-haired teen drops tiredly into his seat. He yawns for a third time and rests his head on his hand, glancing out of the window as the teacher begins to take attendance.

The sky is a bright blue, reminding the redhead of the hair color of a certain invisible basketball player who - Kagami hates to admit this - is one of his closest friends. Speaking of which...

"Kagami Taiga!"

"Here..." Comes his bored reply as he lets out another yawn and leans back into his chair.

"Kuroko Tetsuya!"

"Eh? We actually have someone in our class named that?"

"Wow, I don't think I've ever met him before!"

"Is he a new transfer student?"

Kagami rolls his eyes as the usual confused banter ensues. He briefly wonders why his class so easily forgets the blue-haired teen, seeing that his attendance is called every single day. Kagami figures it's either a Japanese thing or it's due to Kuroko's extreme lack of presence.

"Kuroko Tetsuya!" the teacher calls again, this time in a more irritated tone.

_That's weird_, Kagami thinks as he turns his bright head around to where the addressed teen usually sits. The desk behind him is empty. _Is he absent? That isn't like him..._

"Oh!" The teacher suddenly caws from his large desk at the front of the room, as he slaps a hand to his forehead. "That's right! I took Kuroko to the nurse's office this morning; he said he wasn't feeling well..."

_Is he so unnoticeable that you'd forget about that?_! Kagami blanches angrily, before sighing and leaning forward to glance out of the window once more._ I wonder what's wrong with him..._

.

Kagami enters the basketball gymnasium slightly late as usual, fully dressed in casual sports attire. The squeaks of shoes, the swishes of hoops, and the dull thuds of rubber against wood fill his ears, causing him to briefly smile contentedly. As the large white doors to the gym swish to a close behind him, however, he finds a standard clipboard flying into his face.

"You're late again, you idiot!" Seiren's female couch growls angrily as she approaches the aforementioned idiot and grabs him by the ear. "Five more laps for you!"

"B-but, Coach!" Kagami starts, before he is cut off by a dangerously glowering look.

"What was that, Bakagami?" Riko questions with a pleasant smile that betrays the dark undertone of her voice. "Did you say that you wanted ten laps?"

"Five laps right away, coach!" Kagami shouts, straightening himself up like a ruler. He prepares to jog towards the white-drawn track lines but stops himself, as he recalls something. "Oh, Coach-" she perks up her brown head expectantly, "-Kuroko wasn't in class this morning; he had to go to the nurses office this morning, and I went to go check up on him, but he wasn't there. I think he may have gone home."

"What are you talking about, Kagami-kun?"

This question comes from behind Kagami and is asked in a very deadpan and quiet sort of way, but it still causes the redhead to jump five feet up in the air.

"K-Kuroko?" Kagami shouts as he whips his head around and is met with the small stature of the addresses bluenette. "What the hell, you bastard! When did you get here?"

"I was here the entire time, Kagami-kun." Kuroko replies with a blank stare.

"He actually came early." Seiren's captain provides, as he ceases his dribbling and joins the conversation. He tucks his basketball under one arm and approaches the talking trio. "Is it true about you going to the nurse's office, Kuroko?"

"Yes, I wasn't feeling well earlier."

"Kuroko," Riko says seriously, placing her hands firmly on her hips as she scans him up and down with her sharp eyes, "if you still don't feel well, you should go home."

"I'm feeling fine now-

Kuroko's steady reply is cut off as a large hand comes down on his blue head. The hand forcefully turns his head to the left, until he finds himself facing a rather angry looking redhead.

"Oi, don't be stupid," Kagami grins, vein pulsing on his temple. He pushes Kuroko's head down lightly and ruffles his hair. "I can't have you fainting on me if you're sick. Who do you think has to carry you back?"

Kuroko stares back, an unreadable expression flashing across his pale face. Was it an unhappy expression? A happy one? Kagami can't tell because it disappears as fast as it comes.

"I really am fine."

Kuroko says this forcefully with a smile.

A smile.

The tumult of squeaking feet, swishing hoops, and the dull thuds of rubber against wood ceases.

It's a smile, and it's from Kuroko.

"Wahhhhh!" Everyone within the gymnasium shouts in unison (with the exception of Mitobe, because Mitobe never talks) - they had all been secretly listening in to the conversation while they practiced. "Kuroko smiled!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Kuroko?" Hyuga demands comically, straightening his glasses to make sure what he's seeing is real.

"Kuroko is smiling..." Izuki murmurs, before his eyes spark with mischief. "It's the smileocalypse!"

The pathetic pun earns several snickers from the crowd that has now gathered around Kuroko.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kuroko?" Koganei asks between the gasps of breath left in him after laughing his head off.

Tetsuya #2 yips worriedly at his master's side.

"Yes, I am - actually," Kuroko proposes slowly and cautiously, turning to face Riko who is still frowning, "I was wondering if we could have practice outside."

Riko allows an expression of surprise to slide over her face.

"Huh?" Kagami blinks, having recovered from his laughing daze. "That's not like you at all, Kuroko."

"That's not a bad idea." Riko admits as she taps her chin thoughtfully. _A breath of fresh air might energize them and put them in high spirits... _She then turns suddenly towards the gymnasium doors, places her hands on her hips, and shouts in a loud and commanding voice: "Alright! Everyone, grab your things. We're heading outside!"

Kagami notices that Kuroko smiles again and that it's a relieved kind of smile.

.

Outside the sun is unusually bright and blazes down on the Seiren team unforgivingly. Fortunately, the air is nice and cool; it easily chills the team's heated bodies as they drive past each other an shoot baskets on the green-matted practice court.

Riko watches them from the bench, noting their improvements and weaknesses with a keen eye. From what she can see, their weaknesses are becoming less noticeable and their focus is sharp... With the exception of Kuroko.

The phantom player looks as if he isn't really and wholeheartedly into the game. It's as if his mind is elsewhere and that the game itself holds little importance to him. His plays are still amazing and strangely spot on accurate, but Riko can tell that his heart isn't into it. But she isn't the only one who has noticed this.

"Oi, Kuroko!" Kagami growls as he runs up beside the blue-haired adolescent. "Wake up and get your head into the game!"

"But I am awake and into the game." Kuroko replies politely, albeit stubbornly. "Are you sure you're not the one not into the game?"

"What was that?!" Kagami grins dangerously in reply.

The whistle suddenly blows and the game is halted.

"Okay, five minute break, everyone!" Riko calls.

Hyuga drops the basketball he was about to shoot into the hoop, wipes the beads of sweat trailing from his spiked a hair to his temple off of his face, and walks towards the area where all of the teams' bags are laid out beside the bench. The others follow his lead, all panting loudly in the summer heat.

"Man, that was a pretty rough game just for a practice match." Furihata sighs as he rummages in his bag for a bottle of water. "Your passes were really amazing today, Kuroko! It's like you knew exactly who was open, before they even were open!"

Kagami has to admit it: Kuroko did play exceptionally well today.

The redhead turns his head towards the bluenette and is surprised to find him fiddling with his phone instead of gulping down large amounts of water.

"Who are you texting, Kuroko?" Kagami asks, clearly curious.

"Ah, I'm texting Kise." The blue-haired teen replies nonchalantly as he looks up from his phone. The phone buzzes again and he glances down at its screen. "And Midorima." It buzzes again. "And Aomine." And again. "And Murasakibara." It buzzes once more.

"Are you texting the whole damn Generation of Miracles?!" Kagami and Hyuga demand in irritation.

"What are you doing texting them anyways?" Kagami frons. "Are you guys planning a party or something?"

"Yes, we are." Kuroko deadpans, causing everyone to straighten up in shock. "I'm supposed to invite my entire team, but Aomine doesn't want you to come."

"What was that?!" Kagami shouts angrily. "That bastard!"

"I was just joking." Kuroko explains calmly.

"Wahh?!" Everyone shouts in unison once more. "Kuroko is joking?!"

"It's the jokeocalypse!" Izuki nods, eyes glinting with mischief once more. Laughter follows.

The ring of Kuroko's phone cuts through the light atmosphere and the team peers curiously at it, itching to see who has called their mysterious phantom player. As Kuroko glances at the phone's screen, another unreadable expression flashes across his face. He turns to Seiren's coach with his usual poker face in place.

"This call is very important, can I take it?" Kuroko asks, waving the device lightly in the air.

"Fine." Riko nods after a moment of contemplation. "But make it quick."

Kuroko thanks her in an unusually emotional manner, before he trots off to answer the call. His team stares worriedly at his back as his figure disappears behind the school building.

"He really wasn't into the game today." Izuki frowns with a serious expression.

"Maybe he's still feeling under the weather?" Koganei suggests as he absentmindedly takes a sip from his nearly empty bottle of water.

"Well, if that's how it is," Hyuga murmurs, still searching his bag for his bottle of water,"he should've gone home to rest- damn it. I think I left my water bottle inside the gym!"

"Oh, I'll come with you to get it!" Koganei grins, as he waves his now empty bottle in the air. "I need to refill mine anyways."

"Same here!"

"Me too, actually."

"This must be an empty water-bottleocqlypse!"

"Isn't that getting kind of old? I need to refill mine too by the way."

Soon everyone save Kuroko, Kagami, and Riko is heading into the gymnasium. Luckily for Kagami, his jumbo-sized water bottle is still half full.

As the last of the water-bottle refilling group disappears into the gymnasium, Kuroko returns to the bench, cellphone closed but still in tow. He, however, stops short as he notices Riko and Kagami are the only ones present on the bench.

"Where is everyone?" He questions slowly, as if he himself does not want the question to be answered.

"Oh," Riko jerks her thumb backwards in the direction of the gymnasium, "they're refilling their water bottles."

What comes next, Kagami and Riko never see coming.

"No..."

Kuroko whispers this singular word under his breath as the unreadable expression crosses his face for the third time. This time, the expression stays glued to his face and Kagami and Riko identify it immediately. The expression is one of utter horror and defeat.

"No."

"Kuroko, it's fine." Riko says slowly as she attempts to calm the bluenette down, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They're just getting a drink of water. Calm down."

"No." Kuroko repeats like a broken record. "You don't understand-

An ear-shattering boom rocks the area, its echo resembling that of an avalanche. A burst of hot air sweeps the three adolescent right off of their feet. When they manage to collect their bearings and pick themselves off of the ground, they find that they feel a wave of heat coming from the opposite direction of the sun. Its origins? The gymnasium.

The building is engulfed in flames. Smoke clouds the sky above it, devouring the bright blue sky like a monster.

There is a small pauses in thought and motion. No one moves. And then...

"Everyone is still inside!" Kagami shouts as he charges towards the gymnasium like an animal gone half mad.

"Bakagami, don't!" Riko shouts in all of the confusion, grabbing at his shirt through the blurry haze of tears that cloud her eyes.

The redhead prepares to rip himself away from the woman's grasp, but stops himself as he sees her tear-filled face. The dancing flames from the gymnasium just illuminate the tears even more.

"We need to get help!" Riko chokes out, somehow remaining levelheaded in the chaos.

But the smoke has already drawn the attention of the needed help and the blaring sirens of fire trucks soon resonate through the crackling air. White and red flashes of spiraling light, riding on top of elongated red and white vehicles, filter into the area . The colors pierce through the thick blackness of the smoke.

Red. White. Black.  
Seiren colors.

Kagami rips his gaze away from Riko's tear-streaked face. His mind is a mess, and it takes every ounce of his willpower not to go charging into the flames like the men clad in fireproof uniforms do. Almost all of his teammates are trapped within the flames of the burning building. His heart wrenches in agony at the thought. He doesn't believe it. _This can't be happening._

Suddenly, he feels his gaze being drawn forcefully towards the silent figure of Kuroko Tetsuya. However, as soon as he sees the expression on his friend's face, he immediately wishes that he could unsee it. There is no sadness on the phantom player's face as he stares blankly at the column of smoke that continues to rise out from the building. In fact, his expression is devoid of any and all emotion. It's as if he has been expecting this outcome, like he has seen it all before, like he is watching a movie that doesn't involve him.

.

In the distance, hidden from the eyes of the firemen and the remaining survivors, a single golden eye peers out from under the shroud of a dark hood and observes the scene. Beneath the observant eye, a smirk forms.

The smirking figure, clad in all back, absentmindedly twirls the green stem of a bright, yellow daffodil between his fingertips.

"It really is a tragedy."

* * *

Slivers of horizontal light slide through the blindfolds that hang in front of a small and square windowpane. The slivers reveal tiny particles of dust that lazily float about, undisturbed in the musty air.

A thin layer of dust has formed upon a red digital clock that rests on top of a wooden drawer. The clock blares bright green numbers and letters that go unnoticed by its owner who lays snoring beside the drawer on a flat white bed, blue covers pulled high.

5:59

6:00

The red clock jumps to life and shakes with a loud buzzing sound, rattling noisily against the surface of the drawer. Its owner stirs in bed before raising a hand and bringing it down hard on its button-covered surface. It immediately ceases its racket.

A pair of angry red eyes peak out from under the blue covers to glare at the clock, which is now slightly cracked, and now reads, 6:02 - August 23.

Throwing his covers off with an elephant-like yawn, Kagami Taiga starts his day.

* * *

**A/N: And at last I have discovered that I am an unbelievable sadist. So, what do you think so far? Any opinions or comments? If so, I await your review!**


	2. August 23 ( II )

**Daffodil Days**

**two: **April 23 (2)

* * *

When Ryouta Kise awakens, he already knows what the day holds for him. It is August the 23rd and misfortune awaits him around him every corner.

Again.

But he isn't one to give up so easily, so he changes into his school uniform, grabs his cellphone off of the counter, puts on the stupidest smile he can muster, and heads out of the doors.

Today, he actually has a plan.

* * *

The school bell tolls; Kise's plan is thrown into action.

Step One: _Appease fan girls and direct them in Moriyama-sempai's direction_!

Appeasing them is easy, because as soon as he walks onto Kaijo's campus, he is swarmed with them. Girls of all kinds approach him like flies drawn to a light, waving pictures of the blonde-haired model in one hand and pens in the other.

Kise grins at them while comically sparkling in a way that he only can, while he earns jealous glares from the male students on the campus.

"Kise-kun, Kise-kun, can you please sign this for me?"

"Can you take a picture with me, Sempai?"

"Of course, of course!" Kise complies with their requests with practiced ease and a childish smile as he makes his way towards the school's doors. "Anything for my cute fans~!"

A collective of "kyaaa"s, fainting thuds, and lovestruck sighs follow shortly after.

When Kise and the flock of girls finally make it into the school building, he turns to them and leans forward until he is only a couple of inches away from their faces. His hands are placed loosely on his hips; and despite the serious expression that has fallen over his face, he looks absolutely childish.

"Y'know, I was actually planning on having a mixer this weekend!" He says slowly with an innocently thoughtful look in his eyes. "I wonder who I should invite...?"

As soon as he finishes his query, he is attacked with numerous volunteers.

"Invite me, Kise!"

"I wanna come!"

"Me too!"

"Alright, alright!" Kise laughs, comically sparkling once more with bishonenness as he waves his hand in an attempt to calm them down. He suddenly leans close down to them again and cups his hand around his mouth like he's about to them an important secret; he jerks his thumb backwards indicating the white marble stairway behind them. "Actually, I gave all of my invitations to Moriyama-sempai!"

The girls peak over Kise's broad shoulders in search for the said 'sempai'. Sure enough, the black-haired Yoshitaka Moriyama stands at the bottom of the staircase, leaning against the railings as he frowns at a collection of very red-marked papers that he holds in his hands. He seems thoroughly engaged in whatever it is that is written in the papers, not even heeding to the fact that several members of the student body bump into him as they pass him by.

"Maybe if you go ask him nicely, he'll give you some!"

And that's all the motivation they need. Like a wildfire, the girls spread themselves away from Kise's side and charge towards Moriyama in a manner that makes them seem like angry rhinos. The girl-crazy basketball player immediately discards his red-marked papers as the flock of girls approach him and quickly begins to rapid-fire flirtatious comments at every single one of them. His rapid-fire flirts counter the girls' pleas for invitations **— **he's so infatuated with them that he doesn't even realize what they are asking for.

The girls, some getting impatient while others becoming infatuated with him themselves, drag him away from the stairwell and into a corner behind it, where they barrage him with a multitude questions. He seems unfazed by this, whispering an odd mantra of "It's my harem!" as his eyes sparkle with glee.

This glee is cut short as a large, black, steel cabinet crashes down the stairs and lands in the exact spot where he had been standing before. Several surprised shrieks and shouts fill the air shortly after the cacophonous echo of steel against tile resonates throughout the building.

Moriyama gulps as cold sweat trickles down his back. He glances at where the cabinet now lies and knows that if he hadn't been overtaken by the girls, he'd be dead: a mere blood spatter on the ground. Strangely enough, he can picture his own death by cabinet perfectly in his mind.

"Oh my god!" Comes a voice from the top of the stairs. "I am so sorry. Did anyone get hurt?"

A man clad in a blue janitor's uniform stands at the top of the staircase, peering down at the crowd now gathered around the fallen cabinet with nervous eyes.

"Hey!" Kise whines, pushing through the crowd with a pouting expression. He approaches the dented cabinet and kicks it with his foot. "Sheesh, be more careful! You could've killed someone!"

The janitor, taken aback by the blonde's straightforwardness, hastily bows and apologizes.

"If you can't carry the cabinet down by yourself, you should've gotten help!" Kise berates as he crosses his arms. "Sheesh!"

"Wow, Kise-kun is so cool!"

His fan girls once again draw themselves to his side. They murmur words of admiration and praise his courage, but the blonde-haired model brushes them aside and approaches his fellow basketball teammate, who is still frozen at the spot and looking rather shaken.

"Sempai, are you okay?"

The concerned question snaps the girl-crazed adolescent out of his stupor, and he turns to the blonde, a familiar determined emotion glinting mischievously in his dark eyes.

"Of course I am!" Moriyama answers suavely, suddenly sparkling with Kise-like bishonenness. "I was just about to enjoy my harem."

The words remind the flocking girls of Kise's mixer invitations, and they once again gather around Moriyama, blurting out incomprehensible phrases and pleas. Despite the fact that it looks like he is being eaten alive by a pack of wildcats, Moriyama looks absolutely pleased.

Kise stares after him with a satisfied smile.

_After all, the only thing that breaks Sempai away from his depression after receiving a bad grade are cute girls_.

* * *

Step Two: _Fake being sick and see how the others are doing _

Kise's smile fades as he scans the still crowded hall with searching eyes.

_I've never acted before in my life, but it can't be harder than modeling can it?_

With this encouragement in mind, Kise pushes himself into the book-carrying crowd. He bumps into several people with unsteady feet and apologizes to them with dizzy eyes and a flushed face (he manages the flushed face by holding his breath **— **he has to admit that he is quite the genius). One of the people he bumps into just so happens to be Kaijo's basketball Captain.

"Oi! Kise, watch where you're going!"

_This must be the lucky day! I can get a piggyback ride from Sempai to the nurse's office! I have a good feeling my plan is going to work this time~!_

"S-Sempai..." Kise begins with a stutter, before he drops like a stone onto the ground.

"Oi, Kise!"

The floor is hard and cold; it's anything but comfortable. However, Kise endures it as he observes his surroundings through lidded eyes.

"Kise!"

The blonde can vaguely make out the shadowy figure of his Captain as he kneels onto the ground beside him. The imprints of two rough hands are suddenly placed steadily onto the model's back and his entire body is shaken back and forth.

"Kise! Kise!"

"Oh no! Someone needs to take Kise-kun to the nurse." **—** courtesy of one of Kise's fan girls.

_Alright_, Kise grins internally as he feels two large rough hands scoop him off of the hard floor,_ time to get a piggyback ride from Sempai~!_

He feels his body lifted into the air and suspended there by two arms **— **one hooked under his neck and the other hefted beneath the crook of his leg. He doesn't need to crack open an eye to tell that he is being carried bridal-style.

_Well, it's not a piggyback ride, but it's good enough~!_

"Please take care of him!" Comes the rough-sounding voice of Yukio Kasamatsu from far off behind him.

_That's right_, Sempai, Kise thinks in a gleeful, sing-song voice, _take care of me **— **hey. Waitaminute._

He cracks open an eye and glances back while also attempting to keep his head still. The blonde-haired model finds that he is staring at a gathered crowd with worried looking Kasamatsu standing at the center of it.

_Wait... What_?

In a subtle manner, Kise chances a glance at his carrier and is appalled to find that an unnaturally hairy woman dressed in a nurse's outfit is the one who is hefting him down the hallway.

_Sempaiiiiiiiiiiiii_.

Kise pouts inwardly at his misfortune as the rectangular overhead lights pass him by. Through his half-opened eyes, the flashes of light and darkness are dizzyingly hypnotic. It almost puts him to sleep.

However, the soft click of an opening door jars the blonde awake. He hears the quiet drag of a curtain being pulled back, which is followed by a metal rattling sound.

The two arms that have been firmly hooked beneath his body suddenly slide away, and his stomach does a backflip as he falls momentarily through the air. It takes every ounce of his will to not instinctively cringe and push his hands backwards to stop his fall.

He feels his back hit something soft and an almost unnoticeable creaking sound echoes in his ears. This sound is seceded by the familiar sound of a dragged curtain and fading footsteps.

_Not even going to check if I'm still alive are you?_

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

There is a soft click of a door.

Kise is alone.

Almost immediately, his eyes snap open and he shoots up into a sitting position. The color white is all around him. Everything is so white that it's almost dizzying: the bed on which he sits is white; the ceiling above him is white; and even the curtains drawn around him are white. He reaches for the edge of the curtain and pulls it back testingly.

A small and quaint (and once again white) room meets his gaze, but that isn't what pleases him. The fact that the room truly is empty is what does.

"Just a precaution~!"

He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out his cellphone. With practiced ease, he flips it open, scrolls through his contact list, and chooses one of the listed numbers.

The room is filled with the quiet hum of the ringing phone.

Riiiiiinnggggggg.

Riiiinngggggggg.

As Kise waits, he crosses his legs and leans backwards against the bedpost. Almost immediately after he does this, the ringing stops and a soft clack resounds from the phone's speakers. Kise's expression brightens; he presses the device to his ear.

"Kurokocchi?"

...

"Ah, it's going all good over here so far~!"

...

"Eh? What are you talking about? I didn't call you yesterday..."

...

"You know what I mean!" **— **this phrase comes out as a whine **— **"and I really didn't call you; I didn't even have my phone on me!"

...

The bright smile fades off of Kise's face and is replaced with a somber one.

"An explosion? I see... So that's what happened last time around for you... I'm sorry."

...

"No, Kurokocchi is the first person I've called so far~!"

Kise is once again smiling.

...

"Midorimacchi? I don't wanna. He's being all grouchy lately, since his weird fate stuff is betraying him..."

...

"What? I _am_ being serious!"

...

"Don't worry! I have a good feeling everything is going to work out this time."

...

"I know, but everything is going good on both our ends. I bet the others are doing good too! Maybe we can save everyone today, and the loop will end!"

...

"Too optimistic? You're a real bubble popper, Kurokocchi..."

...

"Huh? I'm not trying so hard for heroic reasons... I'm not that good of a person!"

...

"Why then? Hm," Kise frowns as he stares up at the ceiling above him, eyebrows furrowed in contemplation; his eyes widen and his facial features soften into a sad smile as revelation settles within his mind, "I guess I'm mostly doing it for a selfish reason: I'm doing it because I love them," he sighs defeatedly, "I love my team."

...

"Wahh! Kurokocchi, you sound so confident now!"

...

"Kurokocchi is thanking me?! My heart is going doki-doki!"

...

"Humph! I _was_ being serious!"

...

"Alright then. Bye!"

Kise snaps his phone shut and lets out a relieved sigh .

_I should probably call everyone else too._

He flips his phone open and scrolls through his contact list once more. However, before he can choose who he wishes to call next, three glowing numbers at the corner of his phone's screen stop him.

10:23.

_Shit! In seven minutes **—** !_

Kise leaps like a madman from his bed and runs straight through his bed curtains. He charges to the door and rips it open, dashing into the empty hallway with a wild look in his eyes.

_I don't have time. I don't have time!_

His blonde head whips back and forth from left to right as his gaze drifts to both ends of the hall. His feet are planted on the spot and his legs are as stiff as wood, but his gaze still travels back and forth and back and forth in a dazed sort of panic.

_I can't reach the Chemistry room in time from here!_

Kise can feel his knees begin to buckle hopelessly beneath him.

_Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. It's because I got damned distracted,_ Kise thinks groggily as his gaze begins to become blurred with wetness, _because of me Kasamtsu-sempai and Hyakawa-sempai are going to..._

_._

Yukio Kasamatsu frowns uncertainly at the liquid-filled glass tube in his hands.

"This definitely isn't the compound we're supposed to be using."

He currently stands behind a black lab-bench that is topped with several water-filled beakers and an odd contraption that consists of a plugged beaker connected to another one by a clear, wiry tube. Beside him, a rather energetic adolescent rapidly fills beakers with water despite the fact that it's clear that they have enough of them.

The two are the only ones who are within the lab-bench-filled room.

A single rectangular strip of light hangs above their heads, providing all the light they need in the otherwise dark classroom.

"The teacher said we had to use the stuff that he laid out!" The energetic adolescent shouts as he turns towards his lab partner and pulls his fists in, like he is about to punch someone in a boxing match. "He said we had to do this lab, because we missed it when we went to go play that basketball match during school!"

The shouting adolescent is now only centimeters away from the other's face and is grinning furiously.

"I know what he told us to do, Hyakawa." Kasamatsu sighs in an irritated tone, as he pushes the addressed teen's face away from his own. "And you're standing to close!"

"Alright then!" Hyakawa shouts (once again at the top of his lungs) and punches the air with a mad grin. "Let's get started!"

Kasamatsu simply whacks him upside the head with an impatient glare.

"Like I was saying," the Kaijo captain sighs; he extends and opens his palm, showing his fellow basketball teammate the chemical tube, "I don't think we're supposed to use this. The lab directions tell us to use to a different compound."

"But the teacher said**—**

"Well, the teacher must have made a mistake."

Kasamatsu can't shake off the feeling of unease he gets whenever he stares at the clear, liquid-filled tube. His gut is practically screaming for him not to use it, and he trusts his gut completely.

"Arright!" Hyakawa roars as he pries the mistaken tube out of his Captain's hand - he obviously hasn't been listening. "R-Ret's use this chemical!"

"Hyakawa!"

The energetic teen, lost in his excitement, doesn't heed his lab partner's warning and pops the tube open. He runs over to where the wire-connected beakers stand and prepares to pour the chemical in, when a sudden and loud blaring sound stops him short.

"The fire alarm?!" Hyakawa shouts confusedly over the loud whirling sirens.

Kasamatsu takes this opportunity to yank the tube out of his teammate's hand and once again smack him over the head. As the echoing shuffle of footsteps from the hallway wafts into the room, the Captain pushes the tube safely to the center of the lab-bench and jerks his head towards the door.

"Let's go."

.

In the far west wing of the building, Kise's hand hangs loosely on a pulled-down, red lever that reads in bold and white print: Fire Alarm.

Step Three: _Prevent the Chemistry lab from going up in flames_

* * *

The golden-haired copycat presses his sweating back against the white hallway wall as the united blares of the fire alarms echoes at the back of his mind. He watches as the student body shuffles past him in single file lines. Their bright white uniforms reflect the dizzying flashes of red and white emitting from the swirling alarms; and although they are moving as fast as they can, through Kise's eyes they are moving in slow motion.

And it makes him absolutely sick to the stomach.

His plan is ruined.

By pulling on the fire alarm instead of going through with his original plans, he knows that the flow of time has changed. He isn't sure of what awaits him next anymore; and that very thought scares him.

He glares at the pulled fire alarm that stares him down from the opposite side of the hall.

_It's all your fault_.

He digs into his pocket as he stares at the ceiling; it goes from white to red to white to red **—** an endless cycle. Pulling out his phone without really looking at it, he flips it open and texts out a message:

[Subject: I messed up.

Message: I don't know if I can fix it.]

"Kise?" Comes a concerned voice from the shuffling line.

"What are you doing there?" **—** another voice.

Footsteps approach, three pairs of them.

_No_.

Kise knows this ending. He has seen it thirty-three times before.

"Oi. Weren't you in the nurse's office?"

(When the usual regulars of the Kaijo basketball team with the exception of Koji Kobori gather in the west wing hall at the same time **— **)

Kise's gaze flies up to the ceiling just as a thin layer of dust lands on his head. His eyes snap back to where his three basketball teammates stand, their own eyes turned upwards towards the ceiling. A small crack forms there and is reflected in the dark pools of their irises.

(**—** the ceiling across from the fire alarm caves in.)

The copycat player hurls his body hard against the three upperclassmen; the four fly backwards across the hall just as the black crack above their head grows and dips down on them. As they crash onto the cold, hard floor, white pieces of iron and plaster rain down on the area where they once stood. Screams bounce across the walls of the hall, echoing tumultuously as if the hall is a cave.

A thick cloud of dust rises from the fallen debris and travels across the floor. The calm, quick, steady stream of the student body erupts into chaos. Boys and girls break away from their single-file lines and dash towards the exit. Their panic is amplified by the blares of the alarms and the angry shouts of nerve-struck teachers.

It's a mad stampede.

Beneath him, Kise can feel two large bodies struggling and pushing him upwards. He, however, ignores the pleas of those under him and entraps them tightly between his own body and the floor. He filters out the biting pain of their kicks and the ringing rage of the red sirens and instead thinks of his plan.

_Step five is..._

Something cracks against his back like a whip **—** a whip with the weight of a rock in the shape of an unsteady foot. It disappears as fast as it comes, but it still leaves a dull, throbbing pain in his back. He winces and holds tight, attempting to refocus his thoughts.

_Step five is..._

Another crack, followed by another. He can once again hear the panicked screams, the trembling and rapid beat of footsteps against the polished tile floor, and the wails of the fire alarm; he can once again feel his teammates struggling like wild animals under his belly.

_Screw it_, Kise thinks with a pained scowl, _all I want to do is save my damned teammates!_

He digs his fingers into the floor and buries his head into the crook of his two captives' touching shoulders. Another sickening crack is delivered to his back and another and another and another and another. Footstep after footstep after footstep after footstep.

_I want it to be April 24th already! _Kise shouts within his mind, not noticing that the tumult of footsteps is growing distant. _And more than that, I want to play basketball again without having to see death every time I pick up the ball!_

The pounding footsteps have ceased cracking against his back and the squeaking thuds of running shoes have ceased as well. The whirling sirens, however, still screech loudly.

Kise lifts his heads as the dust around him begins to settle. He scans the hallway ahead of him with a pensive expression that turns relieved when he realizes that the hall is empty. His gaze drops down to where his captives lay entrapped underneath him. His face is immediately met with a punch.

"Get the hell off of me!" Shouts the angry Kaijo basketball captain.

"So mean!" Kise pouts as he holds his bruised cheek, all signs of the desperation he once wore wiped clear off of his face. "Right after I saved you too!"

"Y-you," comes another angry voice with a much louder volume, "m-m-moron**—**

The owner of this voice too is met with a violent attack, this time in the form of a whack upside the head.

"How many times have I told you not to shout if you're going to stutter!" Kasamatsu shouts rhetorically with an irritated scowl. His hard gaze then travels to Kise, who still hovers above him; the model is also still cradling his wounded cheek. "Don't do anything stupid like that again."

"But, I**—**

"Got hurt?" Kasamatsu raises an eyebrow, noting how his ace's expression turns sour. "Thanks, but you need to trust your upperclassmen to take care of themselves." Although it is just for a minuscule second, the basketball Captain swears he sees the look on the blonde's face sour even more. Such an expression is out of character for the copycat, but what Kasamatsu sees behind the blonde causes him to forget the occurrence altogether.

The hall flashes from white to red: red like the liquid that pools underneath the body that lays a little ways behind the trio. The body is covered in faded black footprints and is almost unrecognizable. Almost. After all, a well-rounded captain is able to identify the build of one of his teammates with just a glance.

"Moriyama!" The basketball Captain shouts in horror as he pushes Kise out of his way and scrambles towards the fallen adolescent's side.

The teen's body looks even worse up close. Dark bruises cloud his face and his arms. His hands themselves are bent at awkward angles, his fingers crooked and twisted in odd directions. It takes everything Kasamatsu has to not throw up at the sight.

"Hyakwa, go get help!" Kasamatsu shouts as he quickly snaps his head in the direction of where his two other teammates stand frozen. The addressed adolescent doesn't move. "Don't just stand there! Go!"

With that, the Captain's former lab partner is snapped into action. Hyakawa scrambles to his feet and dashes down the hall, shouting for medical assistance at the top of his lungs.

"Come over here and help me stop this bleeding somehow, Kise." Kasamatsu orders in a calm and steady voice that betrays the shaken and dazed look in his eyes; his gaze lowers back towards his fallen friend's body. "Wait, help me check his pulse before that."

"He's already dead."

"Oi. Kise!" Kasamatsu growls angrily as he whips his head back to meet the blonde's gaze. "Don't give me that shit**—**

He can't get the rest of the words out of his mouth. Kise's expression stops him short.

"S-Sempai," the blonde chokes out as he stares past the entire scene, "Sempai, I tried so, so, so hard this time; I really did-I... I tried so hard."

Kasamatsu swears that he has seen that expression on Kise's face before, and he is sure that he has heard him speak those words before too.

* * *

When Ryouta Kise awakens, he already know what the day holds for him. It is August the 23rd and misfortune awaits him around him every corner.

Again.

He slams his fists against one of the faded yellow walls of his room, pounding against it relentlessly in a flurry of both rage and anguish. Angry tears stream from his eyes and trail down his pretty face. He wants so badly to scream, kick, and shout at the world for being so cruel **— **for making heart feel like it's being repeatedly ripped out of his chest by his own hand.

Pressing his sweat-beaded forehead against the cold surface of the wall, he let's out a quiet sigh. He cranes his neck slightly so that he can gaze out of his window and hopes that the sky will calm his nerves; but bright gold daffodils crowd around the opposite side of the windowpane. His eyes widen at the sight. In turn, the flowers sway gently in the morning breeze and just seem to mock him all that much more.

_I didn't even make it to basketball practice this time..._

He turns his head back towards the wall and gazes at its pasty color accusingly. Suddenly, he finds his whole body trembling and shaking from the core. The shaking bubbles up from his chest, travels up his throat, and escapes his mouth with a forceful rush.

His laugh echoes loudly throughout otherwise quiet the room. He buries his face in his left hand and continues to let the strangled sound to escape his smiling mouth.

He laughs because of the raw irony of his situation. He laughs because he has tried so hard and has failed that much harder. He laughs because he doesn't know what else to do. But most of all, he laughs because he has not done so in a very long time.

Across from him in his mirror that hangs just above his desk, Kise's reflection laughs right back at him.

* * *

**A/N: And with this, my sadism has increased ten-fold. So what do you think of this chappie? Oh ****— also, what pairings would you like to see in this fic?**

**And many thanks to those who took their time to follow, favorite, and review!**

**Kuroshiroryu: **And here is more~!

**Bakudan Fujoshi: **Actually, Kagerou Days inspired me to write this fic! *smilefaces back*

**Guest: **Hmm... It's something like that...And yup, there is an update! Thanks for the compliments. :3

**Fumus000:** Lol really? Well, I'm glad that you decided to stick around! By the way, your analysis is half right! If I say anymore, I'd be giving out spoilers. :x

**Cerul Skyefrost: **I must say that I'm happy that you're on board. :o

**flowingshadows: **Thanks! And here is chappie for you.

**Booklover2526: **I'm afraid that it's not a dream... Dx


	3. August 23 ( III )

**Daffodil Days**

**three: **August 23 (3)

* * *

Kazunari Takao nearly trips when he enters Shutoku High's gymnasium. He doesn't trip over his own shoes — he's too quick on his feet to do that — nor does he slip on the freshly waxed floors. Oh no, doing that would be just too normal.

What he nearly trips over is an extremely large bunny rabbit statue. The offending object sits right in front of the doorway, hiding to the left a little ways away from the hinges of the doors.

(But the thing is, he had seen the statue before he had walked in — thanks to his eponymous ability known simply as "the hawk eye" — and had taken care to avoid it. However, another equally large statue had been sitting behind that statue. And another one had been behind that one. And another behind that one as well. In fact, the entire gymnasium was filled with them. He had been so taken aback by the sight that he had almost tripped over the statue in front of him.)

Recovering from his mini-heart-attack, Takao takes a step backwards and stares at the gray ocean of stone rabbits.

"What the...?"

"Hey!" Comes the angry shout of one Kiyoshi Miyaji who stands in the middle of the chaos, hugging one of the rabbits close to his chest. "Takao, where is that four-eyed bastard?"

The raven-haired basketball player stares at the blonde in confusion for a moment, awed by the strange sight of him hefting the statue, before he shakes it off and answers him with another question: "Oh, you mean Shin-chan?"

"Yes, yes, 'Shin-chan'." Miyaji chuckles darkly as a shadow passes over his face. "Someone hand me a pineapple 'cause I need to chuck it into that green-haired bastard's face for leaving us this mess to clean up!"

"You think he did this?" Takao inquires as he picks up a statue and balances it on his head.

"Who else has a weird obsession with these type of things?" Miyaji shoots back as he carries the rabbit he holds to the other side of the room.

"Hmm," Takao frowns, swaying back and forth in an attempt to keep the stone bunny on top of his head, "but he wasn't in class today," he dips his head and the statue slips into his waiting hands, "and Shin-chan isn't the type to skip school just to come set up something like this." He places the stone rabbit back on the floor in its previous spot. "He'd come in after-school to do it instead~!"

"Like that makes it any better!" Miyaji scowls. His voice fades off as he exits the gymnasium's back doors carrying the stone rabbit with him. When he returns, he is empty-handed. "Anyways, the coach and captain say that we'll probably spend the whole practice getting these things out of the way." The blonde places a hand loosely on his hip and gestures with his thumb backward with the other — he indicates the multitude of gym-wearing basketball players who are also attempting to lug the multitude of statues out of the gymnasium. "And by 'we' I also mean 'you'."

Takao let's out a childishly loud sigh.

* * *

"That was such a pain~."

Takao walks down the gray cemented sidewalk, sore arms placed firmly in support behind his dark head, as he complains to no one in particular.

The setting sun casts a warm orange glow over the green foliage that consumes the red-brick wall which stands steadily to his left and paints the sky a purplish, red hue. Although the sun is now only a dimming half-orb that hangs low in the sky, the raven-haired adolescent can still feel its soft, radiating heat. It is the same heat that causes hot, wavering air to rise up from the black, asphalt road to his right.

"Hmm," he murmurs to himself thoughtfully, "since I worked so hard today, I think I deserve some ice cream."

Turning down the street in the opposite direction of his house, he heads towards the four way intersection that awaits him ten blocks down. As he walks towards his destination, he hums a song (once again to himself) and listens as his tunes become intermingled with the rumblings engines of the cars that roll down the road. The combined sounds, Takao decides, are a delight to the ears. In fact, they are so harmoniously delightful that he begins to sing out loud so that he can hear the enunciated notes more clearly.

"Before love rejects logic by calling itself 'to heavy a burden'. Na. Na. Naaaaaa," he sings loudly, strumming on air guitar as he spins around in a full circle, "and changes into hatred," he throws away his air guitar and exchanges it for an air microphone, "isn't just everything like that? Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun. Naaaaa," he finds himself at the four way intersection, turns his body left to face the other side of the road, and continues to sing at the top of his lungs, "false reality always puts a lid on awkward circumstances — ack!"

The raven-haired adolescent finds himself biting his tongue as he sees a kaleidoscope of colors out of the corner of his eye. To the strip of sidewalk on his right are the colors red, white and black; to the sidewalk behind him are the colors white, blue, and black. The mixture of colors come from low-hanging sports bags that hang loosely on toned shoulders and in muscular hands.

Members of the Seiren basketball team stand to his right and members of the Kaijo basketball team stand behind him.

"Takao?" This question of identification comes from none other than the Kaijo basketball Captain. The dark-haired captain then turns his head to also acknowledge those who stand perpendicular from him, "and Seiren?"

"Hey!" This exclamation came from Seiren's side of the road, namely from their hot headed — not to mention red-headed — power-forward. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"W-W-We could ask you the same thing!" Kaijo's energetic rebounder shouts as he jabbs a finger in the red head's direction.

"Shut up." Kasamatsu mutters, smacking the adolescent upside the head. "You're giving me a headache."

"We're actually heading out for ice cream," Seiren's lady coach calmly explains, nodding in the direction which Takao once faced.

"Oh," Kaijo's Yoshitaka Moriyama interjects with a pleasantly surprised expression on his face, "we were actually headed downtown for ice cream too." Behind him, Koji Kobari grunts in agreement.

"Eh?!" Takao gapes, pointing to himself and gesturing down the street. "So was I! What a coincidence~! We can all go together!"

"Hm?"

Takao suddenly finds himself under the sharp gaze of one Izuki Shun.

"Aren't you Shutoku's point guard?"

"Eh?" Asks one cat-faced adolescent from Seiren's side of the street. "He's the one who can see Kuroko then — I recognize him now!"

"You know me?" Takao blinks as he fakes embarrassment, waving the cat-faced teen with a shy hand. "Well, I have to say that I'm honored! How is Kuro-chan doing anyhow?" He pauses and pouts crossly, "I mean, I know Shin-chan has been keeping tabs on you guys, but he never tells me anything!"

"He was actually absent from school today." Seiren's captain answers offhandedly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Really?" Takao inquires, his interest becoming peaked. "Shin-chan was absent today too!"

Kaijo's captain starts at this new information, his dark head perking up in surprise.

"Kise was absent today too — called in sick," Kasamatsu frowns, crossing his arms, "but with this I'm beginning to think otherwise."

"Do you think they pulled hookie together?" Hyuga questions with a more than upset frown.

"They better not have!" Takao, Kasamatsu, Hyakawa, and Riko growl unison, auras of deadly darkness beginning to permeate from their shaking bodies.

"That Kuroko will do ten thousand laps when he comes back to school!"

"Coach, you'll kill him!"

"Remind me to kick Kise in the face with my spiked shoes as a warning to never skip school!"

"That's a death sentence, not a warning!"

"T-T-Those m-m-morons—

"Don't stutter!"

"I had to carry a hundred rabbit statues almost all by myself!"

"...what?"

As their fellow companions attempt to calm their nerves, a loud and irritated sigh that does not originate from their end of the sidewalk echoes throughout the crossroads. Strangely enough, several of them recognize the sigh and avert their eyes towards the sound. Those who do not recognize the sigh follow the gazes of the ones who do.

On the sidewalk that leads to the downtown area of their district saunters the former golden-haired member of Teiko's Generation of Miracles, Kise Ryota. To say the least, he looks absolutely horrible. Dark circles underline his dull gold eyes that gaze at the ground and his expression reminds his onlookers of the one he wore when he was initiating his perfect copy: a look of utter concentration. His lips move ever so slightly and it looks as if he is muttering under his breath. Whatever is on his mind appears to captivate his full attention — he doesn't even look up once and notice the ones watching him.

"Isn't that...?"

Suddenly and uncharacteristically violently, the blonde kicks his foot out against a nearby trashcan and sends it flying across the sidewalk. With a loud and booming rattle, it clatters against the ground and rolls down the slanted slope of the sidewalk before disappearing completely from view. The onlookers stare at the scene utterly befuddled.

"What the hell is he doing?" Kasamatsu growls under his breath, after recovering from the shock of the violent outburst. He prepares to walk over and call out to the blonde when a sudden hand to his wrist stops him. He cranes his head back and sees a mischievously smiling Takao grasping his arm tightly.

"Shhh." Takao presses his index finger slyly to his lips as he peeks over Kasamatsu's shoulder and glances at the blonde. "I have a feeling he's going to where Shin-chan and Kuro-chan are; we should see what they're up to~!"

"Hah?" Hyuga frowns. "You mean like stalkers?"

"It's not stalking if he doesn't know about it~!" Takao replies in a sing-song voice. "Dontcha want to know what they do when they're together?"

"You make it sound dirty..." Hyuga sighs, despite the fact that he is in fact very interested.

"Hm," Riko draws out in consideration, before her face frighteningly brightens with innocence, "we should do it!"

"What?!" The rest of the Seiren team shouts in disbelief.

"Like hell I'm going to stalk that guy!" Kagami scowls, before he raises his hand over his head in a wave ands shouts at the top of his lungs, "Hey, Kise!"

"Hey!" Takao pouts with a frown. "You're ruining our stalker operation!"

"So you were planning on stalking them!" Hyuga exclaims accusingly.

Across the street, Kise snaps out of his deep reverie and turns his head in the large group's direction. It is evident that he has spotted them because his eyes immediately brighten in surprise. However, after about a minute of staring at them, he shakes his blonde head, rubs his darkened eyes, and rounds the corner without ever looking back.

"Well," Takao comments lightly, albeit a bit curiously as well, "that was rude."

"What the hell was that?" Kagami mutters under his breath, obviously offended at how the events had unfolded.

"Operation Stalker is still a go!" Takao exclaims gleefully in complete ignorance of Kagami's hurt ego. He runs across the street while over-exaggerating complicated evasive moments. When he reaches the other side of the street, he peeks around the corner and waves them over.

For some reason that still remains unknown to them, they follow.

* * *

"I feel like an idiot." Kagami mutters as he lowers his body to the asphalt ground. He peers around the bright red car he hides behind and sighs.

"That's because you are an idiot." Hyuga deadpans beside him with a sneer.

"It's stalk-time clutch-time." Izuki adds helpfully from the shrubbery in which he is shrouded; the green bush grows a little ways away from the car, so he can hear the conversation going on behind the ruby vehicle perfectly. Across from him, Koganei grins.

"Don't worry," Takao whispers from his perch on top of the red brick wall that lines the sidewalk, "it'll all be worth it in the end!"

Kasamatsu who stands with his back pressed up against a thick telephone pole doesn't look too certain. Crouching behind the trashcan that stands right by the telephone pole, Moriyama shares his expression.

"Tell me again why we're doing this." The dark-haired ladies-man demands with a petulant grimace.

One of the two people who hide behind the elongated brambles of short tree that blooms on the other side of the street shouts helpfully over: "It's so that we can see what they're up too—

"Sh!" Comes the harsh whisper from the person beside him; Riko sends him a dispassionate glare. "It's not much of stalking if you shout like that."

Hyakawa hastily apologizes with a flushed face and an equally loud voice.

"Sh!"

Takao, with his hawk eyes, surveys the area sharply. He crawls forward from his perch on the wall, taking care not to lose his balance. A couple feet ahead of him Kise continues to slowly walk down the sidewalk. He walks without putting that much effort into it, so his rubber sneakers drag loudly along the cement with friction occasionally leaving black skid marks behind.

His expression is now different from before; he appears bright and happy, albeit a bit anxious. It's a pure miracle that he hasn't spotted them yet.

"Akashicchi is going to be so mad that I'm late." The blonde sighs loudly to himself with a pout. "Kurokocchi too... And Aominecchi (Kagami scowls at the mention of the two together)—but I'll get the worst from Midorimacchi!"

Takao's ears perk up at the mention of his favorite shooter and exchanges a brief glance with Kagami below him.

The blonde rounds another corner and heads towards a bright blue and pink building that's labelled, 'Ice & Cream.'

_Hm_, Takao observes with a raised eyebrow, _looks he was heading out for ice cream too..._

The raven-haired adolescent jumps down his perch, landing gracefully on all fours. As the rest of the stalking part conglomerate around him, he stretches out his arms with a loud yawn and cranes his neck.

"Looks like Kise is getting ice cream too." He informs them, his lips thinning into a mischievous smile. "And from what we've heard, the rest of the Generation of Miracles are probably there too~!"

All those surrounding him look contempt at this new information, and everything falls into thoughtful silence. Together the Generation of Miracles are like, as corny as it sounds, an arching rainbow. Headed by ruby red ("aka") and suspended — supported — by the color blue ("ao"), they draw awe to ithemselvee with their range of breathtaking colors ("ki", "midori", "murasaki") .

And then there is their light blue sky that acts as a backdrop to their brilliance, performing simply as a shadow to their wonder, but sometimes even managing to outshine _their_ psychedelic prowess. Altogether, their combination is something to be awed at — and not just in basketball either.

* * *

Ice & Cream is a well-visited sweet eatery shop that rests just at the corner of Tsubaki Lane; and although it is submerged in the middle of a developing and construction-filled neighborhood, it still manages to draw in customers of all kind.

On this particular day, the shop appears to have drawn an odd bunch to their sun swept parlor. It is, in fact, an odd bunch of five that sits around (and partially on top of) a large, circular, umbrella-shaded table. What makes them odd and so eye-drawing are their appalling differences and their strange attractiveness. Their vibrant hair-colors are something that turns heads as well.

Strewn across the table and munching on a bag of chips, lays a gigantic and violet-haired adolescent — it's a miracle that the table hasn't toppled over. Next to him at the rounded table's edge perches a slightly cross-legged and almost equally tall, well-tanned and blue-haired young man; his blue eyes lazily scan the area as he slides a white popsicle into his mouth. Across from him in a white, plastic chair elegantly sits a green-headed teenager who has black, square-rimmed glasses adorning his attractive face; he holds a yellow, melting popsicle in one hand and a stone rabbit-statue in the other (the contrast of the objects he holds is jarring to the eyes). In a metal chair drawn out next to him calmly and almost unnoticeably sits a light blue-haired young man who can easily be misidentified as a small boy due to his short stature. He idly sips on the milkshake he holds in his hands as he stares out dully at the darkening sky. Observing them all with crossed arms and a blank expression stands a red-haired adolescent who also sips on a milkshake.

"Man," the violet-haired one sighs, dragging another chip into his mouth, "Ki-chin sure is taking his time..."

"There is no helping it." The green-haired adolescent replies, temporarily placing his held statue onto the table to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Oha-sa's horoscope predicts a rather slow and frustrating day for Geminis."

"Is that so?" Inquires the sky-haired young man sitting next to him with a quiet and dull voice. "Does the horoscope predict a frustrating day for all of our signs as well, Midorima-kun?"

"In fact, it does. August 23rd is an unfortunate day for everyone." Midorima replies, before he hefts up his stone rabbit. "However, I have brought today's lucky item, a stone bunny rabbit, with me, so it will negate some of our bad luck."

"That rabbit is kind of cute." The white popsicle-licking teen answers from his perch as he chances a glance back at the held object with his dark-blue eyes. "Well, whatever, Kise better get here soon."

"Hmm," the violet-haired adolescent interjects with a curious frown, "you don't think that Ki-chin went to school to try and stop his team from dying do you?"

"Don't be foolish, Murasakibara." Midorima frowns. "Even Kise would not skip such an important meeting. Something must have come up."

"Telling by the time," Murasakibara sighs in turn as a dark shadow crosses over his face, "they're probably already..." He trails off and shoves another handful of chips into his mouth.

"That's why we can't just sit here!" The blue-haired one shouts, throwing down his popsicle onto the dirty ground in exasperation.

"Daiki," comes a calm, but commanding voice, "control yourself."

The blue-headed teen stops himself and stares at the red-haired adolescent who had spoken.

"But, Akashi!"

"Aomine-kun." The sky-haired milkshake-sipping young man interjects slowly, like he is about to say something of utmost importance.

The addressed Aomine glances over at him questioningly: "What is it Tetsu?"

"... You shouldn't waste food, Aomine-kun." Kuroko finishes, taking another sip from his shake. "You shouldn't litter either."

Aomine sighs bitterly at this but walks over to his fallen popsicle. He picks it up with pinched fingertips and tosses it in the direction of the trashbin that stands a couple feet away without even glancing at it. Fellow sweet-eaters who sit at different tables stare in awe at this feat.

Suddenly the sound of loud and pattering footsteps echoes throughout the area and a blonde-haired and equally handsome adolescent appears from around from the tall bushes that surround the ice cream parlor. His golden eyes scan the eatery and lock onto the table where the other bright-haired teenagers sit. He immediately breaks out into a childish smile.

"It's about time, Kise!" Aomine growls with impatience. "Where have you been? We've been here since nine in the morning!"

"Actually," Kuroko corrects from beside him, "you were late too Aomine-kun. You didn't come until twelve."

"S-Shut up, Tetsu!"

"Ryota," Akashi begins as he steps forward to greet the blonde, "do you have a reason for your tardiness?"

Kise blanches at the dark undertone in his former captain's voice and his smile becomes sheepish.

"Well, you see, Akashicchi," Kise explains, rubbing the back of his head, "I couldn't really sleep last night, but I kind of crashed around six in the morning and was asleep until thirty minutes ago...haha."

"I expect better attendance from you next time."

"Of course, Akashicchi!" Kise pipes happily.

Kuroko approaches the blonde and hands him the milkshake he had been sipping earlier. Kise stares at him questioningly.

"You can have this, Kise-kun."

"K-Kurokocchi?" Kise stutters, touched at the bluenette's kindness. He places his lips to the straw and sips — sips air that is. His thankful expression turns exasperated. "This is empty!"

Aomine and Murasakibara chuckle loudly at the sight. Even Midorima and Akashi crack a small, unnoticeable smile.

"You all know that we have gathered to discuss what we know so far, correct?" The red-haired adolescent questions, breaking off the good-natured atmosphere.

"Yes," Midorima answers for them.

"All we know is that this day keeps repeating over and over again," Aomine supplies as he sits back down at the edge of the table with a long stretch, "and that time resets at the end of each day - we're the only ones who actually notice it though. "

"Correct."

"And for some reason," Midorima adds, finishing off the rest of his popsicle, "fate appears intent on ending the lives of a few select members of our basketball teams for some reason that still remains unknown."

"Correct."

"So we're trying to prevent our teammates from dying to stop the day from repeating again," Kise joins in the explanation, "but whenever we stop them from dying one way, they always die another way! We haven't even managed to save one of them before time resets itself!"

"Incorrect."

"Huh?" Kise pouts, hurt that his part was brushed off.

"What do you mean, Akashi?" Aomine questions in confusion.

"We don't know for sure if by saving them all and breaking away from the set chain of events will actually stop time from resetting." the red-head explains with a bowed head. "That is just a hypothesis we're testing out."

The conversation falls into silence, before Akashi revives it.

"Atsushi, state the names of those who are linked in the chain of death."

Murasakibara angrily pouts at this order and complains, before he fully complies with it.

"Ahh... Let's see. For Kuro-chin it's his entire basketball team, including their lady coach (Kuroko's eyes darken)," the violet-haired adolescent begins, "for Ki-chin it's all of the regulars on his basketball team (Kise visibly winces). For Mido-chin it's the regulars too (Midorima hides behind the glint of his glasses). For Ao-chin, it's also the regulars and,"he pauses as Aomine's face contorts dispassionately, "Mo-chin. For me it's... The regulars on my team. And for Aka-chin (Akashi's face darkens) it's the regulars too."

"Good." Akashi agrees. "Now—" he pauses, eyes sharpening like daggers.

"Akashi-kun?"

"Shintaro," Akashi frowns, extending his hand out towards the green-haired teen, "hand me your statue."

Midorima places his sacred object in the red-head's hand without a question, though he does wear a curious expression on his face. The curiousness turns to horror as he watches his former captain throw the statue into the overgrown bushes.

"Usagi-chan!" He cries, earning humored looks from those surrounding him — humored looks that turn surprised when the statue bounces right out of the bushes and is seceded by a loud "ow!".

* * *

Takao let's out an ungodly shout as the rabbit statue collides with his head and jumps out of the bushes, clutching his dark and now bruised head. He lands of the dirty, but neatly mosaic'd ground, falling only several feet away from the person who had thrown the statue at him. When he recovers from the searing pain, he looks up and finds six pairs of colorful eyes staring right back down at him.

"Hm," he grins in a strange sheepish and sly manner, "so you found out, huh?" He raises his head and waves to the green-haired adolescent who sits stiff with shock in his chair. "Sorry, Shin-chan, we were stalking your blonde-haired friend over there and he led us straight to you; so, haiii!"

"...we?"

Takao hears the bushes behind him rustle and knows that his fellow stalker-mates have also come out and revealed themselves.

"Thanks a lot." Kagami growls as he steps in place beside him, brushing the brambles and leaves out of his hair.

"Why...?" Kise mumbles in complete disbelief under his breath, as he rubs his golden eyes and shakes his head. "I thought I was just seeing things, but..."

"Why are we stalking you?" Kasamatsu inquires, emerging from the bushes and approaching the blonde with a scowl. "More like, why the hell did you skip school today?!"

"Oi," Riko grins darkly in Kuroko's direction, as Hyuga cracks his knuckles beside her, "Kuroko..."

"You're alive." The bluenette whispers, a rare expression of utter shock plastered over his usually blank face.

"Huh?" Kagami frowns. "Of course we are!"

"How...?"

"Interesting." Akashi mutters out loud as he thoughtfully taps his pale chin.

The sky darkens abruptly and drops of water begin to slowly pitter-patter onto the ground.

"Aw," Takao frowns as he glances up at the sky, "it's starting to rain." The people in the parlor look up as well and hurriedly shovel their food into their mouths.

Something gray and long sways just out of Takao's field of vision.

"Tetsuya, Ryota, Atsushi, Shintaro, Daiki," Akashi says in a grave voice as he turns his sharp eyes towards them, "I want you to record the times of the deaths on the next repeat." He pauses as he receives curious gazes from his former team members and utterly confused ones from the others. "And I don't want you to interfere with them."

Almost immediately after the command leaves his lips, Akashi finds himself being lifted off of the ground by the scruff of his collar by a very angry looking Aomine.

"Oi!"

"What the hell are you saying?!" The blue-haired adolescent shouts with unspeakable rage. "You want me to just let Satsuki...!"

A hand is placed on Aomine's shoulder, cutting him off short. Turning his head back slightly, the angered adolescent finds himself staring into the strangely calm dark-red eyes of Kagami Taiga.

"I have no idea what's going on," Kagami states, his expression becoming irked, "but you need to calm down."

Aomine doesn't obey and grips Akashi tighter by the collar, his expression unreadable. The rain begins to come down harder.

"I am sorry, Daiki," Akashi apologizes uncharacteristically; his expression is also unreadable, "but if you wish to end this, you must obey me."

"Wait," Midorima interjects, finally managing to rip his shocked gaze away from Takao's form, "you don't think that—

"No, I don't 'think', Shintaro," Akashi answers, averting his gaze, "I know. The accidents are not accidents at all. Someone who knows about the time loop is causing them."

The Generation of Miracles and their specialist are shocked into silence.

"What are you talking about?" Hyuga frowns. "What accidents?"

Suddenly a loud scream pierces the air. A flurry of hands point upwards at the sky just above where the basketball players stand.

"Watch out!"

But it's too late.

From the sky, a single steel pipe tumbles down with the afternoon rain. It falls and falls and falls and embeds itself into soft flesh. Droplets of blood splatter around and become intermingled with the cold, gray rain drops.

"Oh my god!"

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"No..."

"Hyakawa, go get help!... Well, don't just stand there! Go!"

"We have to stop the bleeding. No — don't pull it out, Bakagami!"

"Kise, come over here! Kise—"

"It's too late."

"Takao..."

Midorima watches as the members of Kaijo and Seiren clamber over the raven-haired adolescent who is suspended in air by a metal pipe that runs straight through his stomach. His glasses are clouded with rain droplets and condensation, but he doesn't need them to see the waterfall of red that pours out of his friend's body.

He takes a slow step forward, slips on the wet ground, but clambers towards the impaled teen's body nonetheless. In the distance, he can hear the distant echo of sirens.

"Shin-chan..."

More blood splatters onto the ground and Takao's hand twitches. In turn, Midorima reaches over to to it and grasps it tightly within his own. A soft, chuckle-like wheeze escapes the raven-haired adolescent's lips at the compassionate sight.

"I knew you were tsundere, Shin-chan."

Midorima bites his lip and tightens his grip on the other's hand.

"Shut up, Takao."

In the falling rain, it is difficult to tell whether the droplets of water that trail down the green-haired adolescent's face are from the rain itself or from his very own tears.

The cycle resumes.

* * *

When Kazunari Takao enters the gymnasium, he is (for some odd reason) surprised that he doesn't almost trip over something. He is also surprised when the cold Midorima Shintaro offers him his very own lucky item, a stone rabbit that Takao swears he has seen before. But what surprises him the most is what comes next...

"I knew you were tsundere, Shin-chan." Takao teases as he hefts the statue in the palm of his hand with a grin.

Midorima smiles back ever so slightly:

"Shut up, Takao."

* * *

**A\N: And here is another chapter! It's somewhat rushed and basically just serves to further the plot and explain the situation, but that's just because today is my last day of summer vacation and I want to get a chapter in before school starts. Because of school starting, my updates will probably be slower — that and because my motivation to write has dropped a little bit.**

**Anyways, am I the only psyched for the second season of Kurobas?! I'm kind of worried about how much they'll animate though. Y'know, since the manga is in the middle of the Teiko arc right now and the WC isn't exactly finished.**

**Also, thanks for those who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I hope you guys continue to do so.**

**Crazy Rayne**: Thanks! It's probably going to get crazier though!

**Booklover2526**: I know... I'm such a sadist. They deserve a happy ending though. :3. Sure, I'll try to fit some of that in!

**ElenaLionward07**: Well, all of the GoM are trying to fix it actually. :o.. But *hint hint* some others will be joining them in their "quest" soon as well.

**TheLittleAppleheadDuck**: Oh, I used to love watching HetaOni! Aw. Don't cry. /offers tissue. It hasn't been updated in a long time though, right?

**Cerule Skyefrost**: Yeah, poor Moriyama...Yup! The entire GoM is experiencing the loop, but they're reacting to it in different ways. :o. Okie! I'll try to fit that pairing in as well!

**NekoTama-1110**: Why, thank you. XD. And your welcome as well. I'll try to add more scenes with them too. :3

**flowingshadows**: Yeah, they died, but time reset itself so they're alive again. Did you like the indirect kiss I added there? XD here's another chappie for you!

**Fumus000**: Rude? What? Dx. Should I tone it down a bit then?... Impending doom is quite fun after all!

**LenXKagamine12234**: Well, I kind of based it on Kagerou Days! I'm sorry. Dx. I'm a sadist. Thank you for your review though!


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